Chapter 49

Chapter 49

The childhood friends all fixed their gaze on Ye Weian.

Aside from Zhu Hongke, the others weren't particularly familiar with Ye Weian, and Qi Zhangsong was encountering him in a private setting for the very first time.

No one had anticipated that Ye Weian, with his seemingly stoic and aloof demeanor, possessed such an intriguing personality.

His previous act of feigning fragility before Zhou Huaichen, with Yan Qing present, had already taken them by surprise. Now, Ye Weian's display of childlike whimsy left them somewhat bewildered.

Once they recovered, Zhuang Wenting chuckled, "President Ye, you're a truly fascinating individual. I find you quite delightful."

Zhou Huaichen cast a cool glance his way.

Zhuang Wenting promptly corrected himself, "No wonder A Chen is so fond of you!"

Only then did Zhou Huaichen avert his gaze.

Ye Weian subtly scratched Zhou Huaichen's palm.

—[A jealous piggy is so cute.]

Zhou Huaichen let out a soft laugh.

Lin Chang chimed in, "President Ye, may I accompany you to see Yan Qing tomorrow?"

Yan Qing had slandered him first, then orchestrated the car accident through Bai Yuan to kill him. Now that Yan Qing was in trouble, Lin Chang naturally wanted to seize the opportunity to further his downfall.

Qi Zhangbai gently took the wine glass from Lin Chang's hand and placed it aside. "You have scenes scheduled all day tomorrow."

Lin Chang: "..."

His spirits immediately sank.

In truth, neither Lin Chang nor Qi Zhangbai had initially planned to attend Chi Li's birthday banquet. The filming schedule was rigorous, and with one being the director and the other the lead actor, either's absence would impede progress. It was Ye Weian who had invited Lin Chang to the birthday celebration, prompting Lin Chang to request leave from Qi Zhangbai.

Coincidentally, today's schedule was entirely dedicated to Lin Chang's scenes. With Lin Chang's departure, Qi Zhangbai simply granted the entire crew a day off and attended the banquet with his parents and elder brother.

Lin Chang sighed, "Alright."

The crew had already lost a day, so filming was definitely set to resume tomorrow. He was destined to miss the chance to gloat over Yan Qing.

He glanced at the wine glass Qi Zhangbai had removed. With a 4 a.m. call time tomorrow, he couldn't drink tonight either.

Lin Chang: "..."

Even though Yan Qing had been apprehended, he couldn't go and mock him, nor could he drink to celebrate. How utterly frustrating.

Qi Zhangbai looked at him, then placed the wine glass back by his hand. "Three sips, at most."

Lin Chang immediately beamed. "Director Qi, you're the best!"

Ye Jia's gaze flitted between the two, his eyes darting thoughtfully.

He had initially believed there was nothing untoward between Lin Chang and Qi Zhangbai, but now their interactions struck him as somewhat peculiar.

Of course, as an oblivious younger brother who hadn't yet awakened to such matters, his attention swiftly shifted to the delectable spread on the table.

Ye Weian patted his silly younger brother's head and raised his glass to toast the childhood friends. "Thank you all for your assistance earlier."

The friends promptly raised their glasses in return.

Zhu Hongke, being the most acquainted with Ye Weian, smiled and said, "No need for formalities, President Ye. Their three families also reaped considerable benefits."

Zhuang Wenting was even more direct: "From now on, our families are all one. Let's make money together."

Ye Weian appreciated his straightforwardness and nodded, "Agreed."

Zhuang Wenting clearly favored forthright individuals as well. He proactively clinked glasses with Ye Weian and drained his drink in one gulp.

Among the childhood friends, Zhuang Wenting was the most perceptive.

He had initially harbored concerns that Ye Weian's feelings for Zhou Huaichen might not be genuine, as his impression of Ye Weian was still rooted in the period when Ye Weian had invested heavily in promoting Yan Qing. However, at Chi Li's party today, it was evident that Ye Weian and Yan Qing were now strangers, and he could discern that Ye Weian's heart and eyes were entirely devoted to A Chen.

Coupled with Ye Weian's engaging and candid personality, his admiration for Ye Weian soared.

Zhuang Wenting then took the initiative to pour Ye Weian another drink, offering a second toast: "Sis-... President Ye, allow me to toast you again."

This time, he was apologizing to Ye Weian for his earlier, petty misjudgment.

However, Ye Weian only registered his form of address.

—[How many times have they almost slipped up now?]

—[I wonder what they're so hesitant about. Are the words 'sister-in-law' really that difficult to utter?]

—[Is it because Piggy won't let them call me that?!]

Zhou Huaichen had initially worried that Ye Weian might be uncomfortable with the term "sister-in-law." Upon hearing Ye Weian's inner thoughts, he immediately clasped Ye Weian's hand and swept his gaze across the group of friends. "Call him sister-in-law."

Lin Chang excitedly set down his chopsticks. Were President Ye and President Zhou making their relationship official?

The friends didn't hesitate and promptly changed their form of address.

Even Qi Zhangsong joined in, respectfully raising his glass to Ye Weian and addressing him as sister-in-law.

Ye Weian: "..."

He didn't object to being called sister-in-law, but with so many people saying it at once, he suddenly felt a little lightheaded.

—[The term 'sister-in-law' truly is potent.]

—[How should I subtly suggest to A Chen that Lawyer Zhu and the others call me by my name?]

Zhou Huaichen feigned deafness, yet when Zhu Hongke and the others once again called him "sister-in-law," he calmly interjected, "Just call him by his name normally."

Zhu Hongke and the others understood, and with a smile, reverted to addressing him as President Ye.

The friends then presented their welcome gifts.

From that moment on, Ye Weian was formally embraced by Zhou Huaichen's childhood friends.

Ye Weian then introduced his younger brother to the friends.

Zhu Hongke patted Ye Jia's head and said, "Your brother seems quite bright. Interested in studying law with me?"

Ye Jia: "?"

Zhuang Wenting also joined in, "Why not come to our company? I can arrange for someone to teach you company management."

Lu Cong, usually a man of few words, unexpectedly chimed in, "Yes, I can teach too."

Qi Zhangsong glanced at them both, then looked earnestly at Ye Jia and said, "Little brother, education is paramount. Are you interested in pursuing a master's degree at our university?"

Ye Jia: "???"

Are Gege's childhood friends all this intense?

Ye Weian, enjoying his meal, listened with amusement as they teased his brother.

Faced with his brother's pleading gaze, he shrugged and said, "These are all influential figures. You should make the most of learning from them."

Ye Jia: "..."

Zhou Huaichen, meanwhile, was wholly focused on peeling shrimp and feeding Ye Weian, paying no mind to his friends' antics.

He knew Ye Jia was timid, and Wei An intended to help him grow.

...

The atmosphere in the private room remained convivial throughout the meal. Afterward, the friends discreetly took their leave.

Qi Zhangbai and Lin Chang also returned to the film set, leaving only Ye Weian, his brother, and Zhou Huaichen.

Ye Yi and Ye Er were still at the Zhou residence. Ye Weian planned to stay overnight at the Zhou family home but needed to drop off his younger brother first.

The three of them got into the car.

Ye Weian, having had a few drinks, felt a little dizzy and leaned languidly against Zhou Huaichen's shoulder.

Zhou Huaichen gently massaged his forehead.

Ye Jia sat in the passenger seat, observing the two through the rearview mirror. Even without a single word exchanged between his brother and brother-in-law, their simple interaction exuded warmth and tranquility.

However, Ye Weian's mind was far from quiet, thanks to the system.

During the gathering, the system had tactfully refrained from interrupting.

Only now, after Ye Weian had entered the car, did it eagerly report: [Host, the task progress for humiliating Yan Qing is at 95%, and for humiliating Chi Li, it's at 70%.]

The system: [I estimate that once they are sentenced, the progress will reach 100%.]

Ye Weian hummed in acknowledgment.

The system excitedly said: [Everyone online is currently condemning Yan Qing and Chi Li. Don't you want to take a look?]

Ye Weian: "Of course I do."

He sat up from Zhou Huaichen's embrace, took out his phone, and logged into Weibo.

A whole afternoon had passed, but the netizens' fervor hadn't diminished. The trending topics were still dominated by Yan Qing and Chi Li.

Netizens were furiously denouncing them for their disregard for human life. After an initial wave of outrage, they had now begun to investigate Yan Qing's other alleged suitors.

Bai Yuan, Xie Siming, and Chi Li, along with Ye Weian and the rumored secret boyfriend Zhou Yongnan—that accounted for only five individuals.

Where were the other five?

Author's Note: Hey everyone, here it is~!

This chapter is for Friday, and there's more coming on Saturday~

I'm still aiming for a 9 p.m. posting time, sigh... I'll keep trying until I can consistently hit 9 p.m.!!

Thank you all so much for your support. I'll continue to work hard!